During a manufacturing process flow of a semiconductor device in which miniature structures are formed, a semiconductor substrate (workpiece) may be subjected to liquid treatments using liquids such as a cleaning liquid. When drying the surface of the semiconductor substrate after the liquid treatment, the miniature structures formed in the semiconductor substrate may collapse by the surface tension exerted by the liquid attached to the surface of the semiconductor substrate. Pattern collapse is prone to occur especially when drying semiconductor substrates having shrunk and high-aspect-ratio patterns.